Another Southeastern Conference foe, another victory for the Gators.
Florida (13-3, 3-0 SEC) edged out Arkansas 59-52 on Thursday night. The Razorbacks’ 52 points are the fewest points an opponent has scored on the Gators this season, while UF’s 59 points tied the lowest score they have put up in 2013-14.
"Really, really proud of the way we battled and fought," coach Amanda Butler said.
"I’m kind of a boring, after-game quote person because it seems like those are the same things that I keep saying, but that’s what I see in this team."
For Florida’s past nine games, Butler’s sentiments have definitely rung true.
The low-scoring night for both teams can be attributed to their subpar shooting percentages from the field. Florida shot 42 percent from the field (3 of 17 from beyond the arc) while Arkansas (14-2, 1-2 SEC) shot only 32.1 percent.
"This is basketball against a good team," Butler said. "Some nights they’re going to fall, some nights they’re not. But, we’re going to keep shooting them as long as they’re good shots."
In the first half, coach Butler was urging her team to communicate with each other to maintain a solid defensive scheme.
"I didn’t feel like we were doing a good job of sustaining our communication throughout each possession," she said. "When we got deeper into the shot clock, we were just assuming too much of one another and not really making sure that we were just giving each other confidence with our voices. When you’re playing a team like (Arkansas) — with so many dynamic scorers and a really smart point guard like (Calli) Berna – the only way you can over come that, even if you’re a great defensive team, is to make sure you’re taking throughout the possession."
With the score tied at 24 entering halftime, the Gators had to keep talking to one another in order to have a shot at keeping the winning streak alive.
Sure enough, the Gators smothering defense shone brightly in the second half, holding Arkansas without a field goal for more than nine minutes in the second half.
"We played smarter defense, but that was probably the section of the game where we did the best job rebounding," Butler said.
Also in regards to smarter play, no Gator fouled out for the first time in conference play this season.
January Miller, who led the team with four fouls, was a sparkplug throughout the game, earning 13 points and six rebounds on the night.
"From a scoring standpoint, I thought we did a good job in the paint," Butler said.
"Rebounding, though, our effort could have been a little more consistent."
Arkansas narrowly won the rebounding battle 38-35, but the Razorbacks did have a height advantage on the Gators — something Butler and Florida have grown used to.
"There were some preventable plays that were based on not boxing out," Butler said.
"We’ve got to make that important when we’re giving up height, which is just about every night."
Follow Gordon Streisand on Twitter @GordonStreisand
Jaterra Bonds attempts a free throw during Florida’s 59-52 win against Arkansas on Thursday night in the O’Connell Center on Jan. 9, 2014. Bonds scored 15 points in Florida’s victory, which was UF’s ninth straight win. The Gators will attempt to extend their streak to 10 games against No. 12 LSU on Sunday in Baton Rouge, La.
